created 2025-04-03, & modified, =this.modified
A closed-ended question, is a question whose answer is expected to provide an affirmative answer to the question versus one that provides a negative answer.
In Esperato, the word ĉu is added to make a polar question .
Vi estas blua = You are blue. ĉu estas blua? = Are you blue?
Ambiguity
- Did John play chess or checkers?
- Yes john did
- no john did not
Finnish
Finnish do not answer yes-no questions with adverbs or interjections but answers them with a repetition of the verb in the question, negating it if the answer is negative.
- Are you coming from town?
- We are coming However, in spoken Finnish, a simple “Yes” answer is somewhat more common, Joo.
Latin
Latin has no single words for yes and no.
Latin has no single words for yes and no. Their functions as word sentence responses to yes–no questions are taken up by sentence adverbs, single adverbs that are sentence modifiers and also used as word sentences. There are several such adverbs classed as truth-value adverbs—including certe, fortasse, nimirum, plane, vero, etiam, sane, videlicet, and minime (negative). They express the speaker’s/writer’s feelings about the truth value of a proposition. They, in conjunction with the negator non, are used as responses to yes–no questions.
Echo Answers
An Echo answer is a way of answering a polar question without using the words yes or not.
- Did you go to the Cinema?
- I didn’t go.